VL-3 Turbine Engine

[Konrad Palczynski]

Are there any estimates on the possible time frame for the turbine engine option availability? I’ve already seen an advert from someone selling their not-yet-delivered VL-3, claiming they ordered a turbine. Also, what are the lead times for the VL-3 with the 916iS? I tried contacting global sales via email, but they’re not responding.

[Matt Ricciardi]

5 hours ago, Konrad Palczynski said:

Are there any estimates on the possible time frame for the turbine engine option availability?

I don't know, but I would guess not soon.  JMB chose not to exhibit the VL3 Turbine at Oshkosh last week because it's still in the engineering phase and they didn't want to overpromise on delivery dates.

5 hours ago, Konrad Palczynski said:

Also, what are the lead times for the VL-3 with the 916iS?

I placed my order and paid my deposit in December 2022.  Latest estimate is that I'll receive my plane in September 2023 -- about 22 months.  It's nearly August and my plane still needs to be shipped across the Atlantic, reassembled, certified, and flight tested here in the States, so I expect the September date is going to slip into October.

In fairness, I originally ordered a 915iS and added the 916iS and 750 MTOW options when they became available in Spring 2023, which might account for part of the delay.  On the other hand, the order queue might be longer now, don't know.

[Lukas Bestajovsky]

Hi Konrad, 

 

To my knowledge current lead times are about 16 months. There are two Turbine engine VL3s flying at the moment.

[Matt Ricciardi]

An aviation YouTuber just posted a video with some more details on the VL3 Turbine: